The statements in this section merely provide background information related to the present disclosure and may not constitute prior art.
In the art of semiconductor processing, for example, a chuck or susceptor is used to hold a substrate (or wafer) and to provide a uniform temperature profile to the substrate during processing. Referring to FIG. 1, a support assembly 10 for an electrostatic chuck is illustrated, which includes the electrostatic chuck 12 with an embedded electrode 14, and a heater plate 16 that is bonded to the electrostatic chuck 12 through an adhesive layer 18, which is typically a silicone adhesive. A heater 20 is secured to the heater plate 16, which may be an etched-foil heater, by way of example. This heater assembly is bonded to a cooling plate 22, again through an adhesive layer 24 that is typically a silicone adhesive. The substrate 26 is disposed on the electrostatic chuck 12, and the electrode 14 is connected to a voltage source (not shown) such that electrostatic power is generated, which holds the substrate 26 in place. A radio frequency (RF) or microwave power source (not shown) may be coupled to the electrostatic chuck 12 within a plasma reactor chamber that surrounds the support assembly 10. The heater 20 thus provides requisite heat to maintain temperature on the substrate 26 during various in-chamber plasma semiconductor processing steps, including plasma-enhanced film deposition or etch.
During all phases of processing of the substrate 26, it is important that the temperature profile of the electrostatic chuck 12 be tightly controlled in order to reduce processing variations within the substrate 26 being etched, while reducing total processing time. Improved devices and methods for improving temperature uniformity on the substrate are continually desired in the art of semiconductor processing, among other applications.